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Bright walls, big city

USA

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A transitory art form it may be, but in some U.S. cities street art – graffiti, murals and colorful posters – ranks among the top attractions. An eye-opening tour of the urban jungle

Downtown Manhattan Graff Tour I New York
The capital of street art New York is the acknowledged capital of this art form, and when young people began tagging buildings in the late sixties, they laid the foundations for a global movement.

Bushwick Collective Graff Tour I New York
Bushwick, Brooklyn With a rough charm reminiscent of pre-hype Williamsburg, this neighborhood is an inspiring playground for experimental street artists. The 90-minute Bushwick ­Collective Graff Tour centers on Troutman Street, where local sprayers and fellow graffiti artists from all over the world leave their handiwork for posterity on old warehouse walls. grafftours.com, 20 dollars

Mural Mile Walking Tours I Philadelphia
The streets of Philadelphia Bruce Springsteen evoked them in his haunting song, and visitors strolling along the Mural Mile downtown will find the neighborhood’s special charm hard to resist. Thirty years ago, the Mural Arts Program initiative countered the ubiquitous urban gray with vibrant colors, transforming Philadelphia into a gallery beneath the open sky. muralarts.org, 20 dollarsGetting there from Germany: Lufthansa operates daily flights from Frankfurt (FRA) to ­Philadelphia (PHL).

Wynwood Mural Tour I Miami
Miami’s artist quarter The Wynwood Art District boasts more than 70 museums and galleries, but local opinion has it that the most exciting artworks are to be found on the streets, where visitors can view them on a walking or cycle tour. Your best bet is to let Ryan the Wheelbarrow, “Miami’s best graffiti guide” and organizer of the Mural Tour, tell you all about them. wynwoodmuraltours.com, 20 dollars
Lufthansa operates daily flights from Frankfurt (FRA) to Miami (MIA) on board an A380.

Downtown LA Arts District Graff Tour I Los Angeles
Art-friendly Los Angeles The works of graffiti artists command high prices at urban art auctions here. Collectors include Hollywood star Brad Pitt. Streets artists of international repute, like France’s JR and mistress of detail Swoon, have immortalized themselves on the roofs and walls of the city.

This tour takes in the works of well-established and also ­talented new local artists. grafftours.com, 25 dollars
Lufthansa operates daily flights to San Fancisco (SFO) from Frankfurt (FRA) and Munich (MUC). No other airline offers nonstop connections to San Francisco from Germany.

Art-crazy San Francisco In addition to exhibiting works by street artists on its premises in the South of Market neighborhood, the 1AM gallery also runs tours of the area where street artists work. The highlight: At the end of the tour, you get a can of spray paint and the opportunity to create your own mural – all strictly legal and above board, naturally. 1amsf.com, 39 dollars
Lufthansa operates daily flights to San Fancisco (SFO) from Frankfurt (FRA) and Munich (MUC). No other airline offers nonstop connections to San Francisco from Germany.